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Robert Hardman’s new book about King Charles actually had some shady asides about Prince William, it’s just that no one really paid attention to those parts because they were too busy screaming about the name Lilibet. Hardman’s sources made it clear that William is a very dull man indeed – a non-reader, incapable of finishing anything other than a one-page memo, and not someone who is ideological, political, spiritual, curious or intellectual. Interestingly, people have started focusing on William’s lack of spirituality and his discomfort with religion in general. It’s a big deal because one of the big parts of being monarch is that William will serve as Supreme Governor of the Church of England. Sources told Hardman that William doesn’t share his father’s “sense of the spiritual, let alone the late Queen’s unshakeable devotion to the Anglican church.” William rarely goes to church and he is “not instinctively comfortable in a faith environment.” That’s led to some talk about whether William, as king, would separate the crown from the Anglican church. Well, this was included in Roya Nikkhah’s piece in the Sunday Times, which came straight from a Kensington Palace briefing:
The health drama comes as it can be revealed today that William will not cut ties with the Church of England when he is King, and will uphold the centuries-old tradition of the monarch being the church’s “supreme governor”.
William is not a regular churchgoer and does not have the strong faith of the late Queen Elizabeth II and King Charles, but he has no plans to change the sovereign’s unique role within the Anglican faith upon his accession, despite recent speculation he will look to sever ties with the church.
The reigning monarch holds the title Supreme Governor of the Church of England, a title taken by Henry VIII after his break with the Catholic church due to his divorce from Katherine of Aragon, a staunch Catholic, in order to marry Anne Boleyn.
Sources close to William have insisted “the conversation has never come up” and dismissed the suggestion that he is considering altering the monarch’s relationship with the church.
Ah, so William is not religious and is not a particularly faithful Christian, but he’s committed to doing the bare minimum for the Church of England, for sure. All of this has caused a somewhat interesting back-and-forth in the British media. Like, an actual national conversation about whether the UK should even have a national religion or expect their royal family to be tied to the CoE, or whether William’s apathy towards religion should make him ineligible to be king. I don’t have a horse in this race but it’s fascinating to watch – Charles got so much pushback, back in the day, for suggesting that the sovereign should be more accessible to a multifaith society and vow to become the “defender of faith” rather than “defender of the faith.” And now William is like “I hate church, I’m barely a Christian, who even cares, this sh-t is boring, I don’t wanna read the Bible.”
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Instar.
Britain’s Prince William and his wife Kate the Duchess of Cambridge arrive for a service of thanksgiving for the reign of Queen Elizabeth II at St Paul’s Cathedral in London, Friday, June 3, 2022 on the second of four days of celebrations to mark the Platinum Jubilee. The events over a long holiday weekend in the U.K. are meant to celebrate the monarch’s 70 years of service.,Image: 696618200, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: -, Model Release: no, Credit line: Matt Dunham / Avalon Britain’s Prince William and his wife Kate the Duchess of Cambridge leave after a service of thanksgiving for the reign of Queen Elizabeth II at St Paul’s Cathedral in London, Friday, June 3, 2022 on the second of four days of celebrations to mark the Platinum Jubilee. The events over a long holiday weekend in the U.K. are meant to celebrate the monarch’s 70 years of service.,Image: 696633875, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: -, Model Release: no, Credit line: Matt Dunham / Avalon The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge arrive at St Paul’s cathedral for the service of thanksgiving for the Queen.,Image: 696641226, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: -, Model Release: no, Credit line: Richard Pohle / Avalon
His Royal Highness Prince William – the Duke Of Cambridge and Her Royal Highness Catherine the Duchess of Cambridge depart a service of thanksgiving at St. Paul’s Cathedral, London, England, UK on Friday 3 June, 2022 as part of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Celebration.,Image: 696655676, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: Please credit photographer and agency when publishing as Justin Ng/UPPA/Avalon., Model Release: no, Credit line: Justin Ng / Avalon LONDON, ENGLAND – JUNE 03: Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Charles, Prince of Wales and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall depart the National Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul’s Cathedral on June 03, 2022 in London, England. The Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II is being celebrated from June 2 to June 5, 2022, in the UK and Commonwealth to mark the 70th anniversary of the accession of Queen Elizabeth II on 6 February 1952.,Image: 696661979, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: -, Model Release: no, Credit line: Dan Kitwood / Avalon North America Rights Only, London, England – 20220603- National Service of Thanksgiving On Day Two Of The Platinum Jubilee Celebrations -PICTURED: Princess Anne, Catherine Duchess of Cambridge and Prince William -PHOTO by: PA Images/INSTARimages.com -67259068 Disclaimer: This is an editorial, rights-managed image. Please contact INSTAR Images for licensing fee and rights information at sales@instarimages.com or call +1 212 414 0207. This image may not be published in any way that is, or might be deemed to be, defamatory, libelous, pornographic, or obscene. Please consult our sales department for any clarification needed prior to publication and use. INSTAR Images reserves the right to pursue unauthorized users of this material. If you are in violation of our intellectual property rights or copyright you may be liable for damages, loss of income, any profits you derive from the unauthorized use of this material and, where appropriate, the cost of collection and/or any statutory damages awarded For images containing underage children: Be advised that some Countries may have restricted privacy laws against publishing images of underage children. Inform yourself! Underage children may need to be removed or have their face pixelated before publishing